Watch the First Trailer for M.I.A’s Documentary Matangi / Maya / M.I.A
Images via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty, CinereachThe first trailer for Matangi / Maya / M.I.A, the documentary about prolific rapper and activist Maya Arulpragasam, is here. Since the early 2000s, M.I.A has been a prominent artistic and cultural figure, and the film explores her meteoric rise to fame, with insight into her hectic upbringing all the way through her ascent to global pop star status.
The film is directed by M.I.A’s friend Steve Loveridge, and is set to hit theatres in the U.K. on Sept. 21 and the U.S. on Sept. 28. Matangi / Maya / M.I.A first debuted at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and it is described as “a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades.” The documentary has long been delayed, with Loveridge even leaking an alternate version of the trailer back in 2013.
Loveridge draws archival footage from over the last 22 years, ranging from personal videos to never-before-heard recordings, to tell M.I.A’s story. From growing up in the midst of a civil war to the exploration of cultural displacement, rootlessness and political strife in her songs, Matangi / Maya / M.I.A will offer audiences a full picture of who the artist behind the 2008 hit “Paper Planes” is. You can watch the full trailer below.